>> and now, bbc world news. >> anti-government protests spread to a new country, now tens of thousands are out in force in yemen. a third day of protests in egypt. a second night in hospital for nelson mandela for what is described as routine tests. welcome to bbc world news. the penalties paid by gay activists in you gotta -- uganda. a couple i got married and divorced and then decided to tie the knot again. >> what is the idea, let's get

married. >> very different countries but in each an unprecedented level of protests. yemen is now the latest country to see thousands on the streets calling on their leaders to leave. on the third day of the egyptian protests, police have killed a protester. now the ruling party has responded to the unrest with an offer of dialogue. one of the leading opposition leaders has just returned. >> in a small town in the desert, young man joined the protests. one is shot. his friends could do nothing to save him.

he died later. flying into cairo tonight, the nobel peace prize winner and would-be candidate for egyptian president. he said he would join the demonstrations. on the streets of central cairo, more arrests and more violence. authorities are conscious of tunisia where street demonstrations toppled one of the world's most oppressive regimes. energized arabs want more freedom. for more authoritarian arab rulers, the big question is, who

is next? on tuesday this week, demonstrations started in egypt. they would like an end to 30 years of president mubarak's role -- rule. egypt is the most populous arab country. in the capital of yemen, there has been big demonstrations against the president who has been in power for 33 years. all three countries, tunisia, egypt, and yemen, all had long serving rulers all regarded as vital allies. young populations frustrated by corruption, and lack of freedom and blaming the elite. >> this is a authoritarianism everywhere. >> corruption, all of that. >> some prominent members of the

party loyal to the president believe that he must listen to the streets. >> what happens in egypt happens everywhere else. this is very important not just for each of the war for everyone. >> for others around the president, -- will only encourage more protest. cracks are appearing across the region and it might not be possible to fix them. >> among those keeping a very close eye on this astonishes in a wave of unrest in the middle east will be many in the white house and the u.s. state department. egypt is a major player in the middle east. the state department has a big stake in this. i spoke to adam brooks in washington. >> we can anticipate that some kind of robust dialogue will be taken place between egypt and cairo at the moment.

it will be interesting to see at which point a telephone call will take place between president obama and president mubarak. president obama is being circumspect as are all american leaders. they don't want to be seen during their weight behind the protesters wore president mubarak either. -- or president mubarak either. >> egypt has been an ally of ours and a lot of critical issues. they have made peace with israel. president mubarak has held with a large amount of issues in the middle east. we need to make sure they are moving forward on reform. this is absolute critical to the long-term well-being of egypt. you can see these frustrations that are being displayed on the streets.

my hope is that violence is not the answer in solving these problems in egypt. the government has to be careful about not resorting to the violence. the people on the streets need to be careful about not resorting to violence. >> this is a very difficult game for the u.s. to play. stability in the middle east is the prime concern but this president has to be seen on the side of democracy, doesn't he? >> president obama made it part of his political identity that he supports open government and human rights and that people can change and frame their destiny. when egyptians take the streets and tried to frame their destiny, it is difficult for americans to tell them to calm down. the u.s. is deeply entangled and has been for a long time and still needs the jobs friendship and support and the control

provided by president mubarak in the middle east. look at the financial relationship. 1 billion and a half per year in aid to egypt, most of that military. a great deal of support from the u.s. to the regime in the past. something of a dilemma for washington if it looks like the regime is looking shaky. when asked today if president mubarak is staying in power, the white house spokesperson responded with -- yes. >> staying in the region, 10 days into his job, the interim prime minister has reshuffled his cabinet sacking all members of the government linked to the ousted president. the that had been a great in consultation with all political parties. he called for an end to protest against the ministers and said that efforts should be focused on general elections within six

months. a car bomb has exploded in baghdad. at least 48 people were killed, many of them wonders. the attacks seemed to be the latest in a series targeting shia muslims. authorities in chile are launching a first investigation into the deaf of the socialist president allende. -- the death of president allende. the aim is to determine whether he committed suicide or was killed. nelson mandela as into the hospital for what is described as routine tasks -- test. the current president said that mr. mandela was flown from cape town to johannesburg and he went to a clinic on tuesday. >> they had been streaming into the hospital all day long.

friends, grandchildren, mr. mandela's ex-wife. an anxious rush or a friendly gathering, it is hard to tell. the house of the frail 92-year- old is on everyone's mind. >> we thank god for you. you have seen it all. we say god will be done. >> south africa's president attending a conference in switzerland is urging the public not to get carried away by rulers and speculation. >> president mandela has been taken to the hospital for a checkup. i'm sure these are more frequent than when he was a healthy young man. this is one of the check ups. >> there is a hunger for concrete news about mr. mandela.

we have heard nothing official cents wednesday. nelson mandela has now been in the hospital for more than 24 hours. that in itself might not be cause for alarm but in seeing significantly longer than previous check ups. people are becoming a little bit more anxious as the hours go by. >> i feel that the family must tell something. >> we need him to -- >> he is a wonderful states man and everyone in south africa loves him and i wish him better sin. >> this morning, children at a school overlooking the hospital sent their best wishes to a man whose life is already a legend. >> he stands for us.

>> his last birthday party, the former prisoner, liberation hero, and is rarely seen. he has become a distant but iconic figure. tonight at the hospital, not quite a vigil but an uneasy wait for hard news. >> in sub-saharan africa, it is becoming difficult and even dangerous to be gay. in uganda, a bill has been introduced in parliament which would make harsh penalties on homosexuals. was the death of david kato a robbery gone wrong or something else? >> david kato was murdered in his home. the police say it was a robbery but not everyone is convinced. in uganda, the gay scene is

vibrant but hidden. david kato campaign for gay- rights. he made enemies. >> i have been hit on many occasions. >> this newspaper called for the death penalty for homosexualities and printed photos and names of people that were gay. david kato was on the list. he successfully sued the newspaper for innovation and promisee. -- 4 invasion of privacy. evangelicals have targeted the gay communities. >> a man is to worship a woman. -- is to be with a woman. a man with an animal, they don't

care. >> you have the churches preaching a very particular message and reaching audiences of thousands so that the general climate is quite conducive. this is a very easy political message you make if you want to score points. >> whatever the outcome of the police investigation, many will still connect the murder to his work campaigning for people's rights. >> stay with us if you can. still to come. the letters that offer a new take on j.d. salinger. was he really such a reclusive? -- recluse? one of the chilean miners said that the 69 days trapped not -- change not only the minds of the miners but also the world as well. >> it was a trauma that gripped

the world and a terrifying ordeal for 33 men. they were trapped 700 meters down. there was almost no food and little prospect of rescue. >> we heard the first drill bit coming down and it missed us and our spirits crashed. >> at the story of survival turned him into a christian missionary. he adopted the role as pastor and said that only for religion did the miners' survive. above the ground, the government prepared to tell the world that there was no hope. then the shaft sound of the narrow chamber. >> this was like trying to find a needle in a haystack and we felt this was an answer to the prayer. >> then quicker than expected came a bore and a capsule able to extract the minors.

-- miners. one of them claim to that finding christianity underground has a change to the minors. -- miners. >> the wives were talking to them on this video link. he is treating me kindly and not harsh they like before. >> for 69 days, the world watched the struggle. one miner insist that just as the miners were changed, so was the world. >> the latest headlines for you on bbc world news. tens of thousands of protesters in yemen have taken part in demonstrations calling on the president to step down. in egypt, protesters have staged

a third day of anti-government rallies and are calling on the president to resign. police in pakistan have charged an unnamed official with double murder. shot and killed two motorcycle riders in lahore. the u.s. government says they will try hard to make sure that there's no anti-government news cast. >> local government -- local television was fast on the sign. a crowd surrounded a vehicle that had been shot and kept the american at the scene until police arrived. a local officer described the attempted carjacking made by a motorcyclist and his driver at the signal. he stopped at the road crossing. two robbers pointed their guns

at him. according to reports we have received, he fired and killed one of them. we have learned the other one has since died. >> police recovered weapons from the bodies of the two men. in a tragic development, a third pakistani passer-by was run over and killed by a second car from the u.s. consulate rushing to the scene after being alerted to the incident. two americans in that vehicle also face charges. in washington, the u.s. state department spokesman told reporters the man was the u.s. citizens working for the consulate but did not confirm whether he had diplomatic status nor whether the official was authorized to carry a firearm. he promised that america would work hard to ensure the tragedy did not damage relations. with dozens on the streets blocking the roads in protests, they will be concern -- there will be a concern in washington

that the incident could add to anti-american sentiment in pakistan. questions will be asked why he was not provided with our protection if he was a diplomat. >> belarus is clamping down on political dissent despite the threat of sanctions from the european union. they are pushing ahead with plans to put more than 30 political activists on trial. they were arrested last month in protest against the president. >> there has been no changing of the political guard in belarus but there has been a change in the temperature. the country's authoritarian leader seems to be turning his back on the west.

when violence broke debt at protests following his reelection last month, opposition candidates were thrown in jail. four face trial and up to 15 years in prison. this woman's husband is one of them. she has not been allowed to visit him but she has been visited by officers from what they still call the kgb here. they took away much but it gave her baby daughter a new game. >> they have been taking things out. >> just what she observed the previous night. this is very sad. >> in protest, the eu ambassadors stayed away from the inauguration last week. the top diplomat says it was an overreaction. >> no one was killed, no one was

wounded, no fire power was used, no teargas, no water cannons, no nothing. look around. be reasonable. don't have double standards. >> this village has a very european name of paris. here in powers, -- they have built themselves and eiffel tower. the country feels further away from europe than ever. at the local winter festival, they celebrate the spirit of the cold and hope the diplomatic freeze is not a deep one. >> we are closer to europe. >> belarus is between russia and europe and always will be. >> we are probably closer to europe, we have a border with them. we are neighbors.

>> it seems that their leader is pulling them in a different direction. >> let's take you back. the celebrated author of the catcher and the rhine cultivated a reputation -- a reputation for being publicity-shy. when he died last year, he had not been interviewed for 30 years or published any works since 1965. a series of letters to a british friend offered a different picture. >> they say that reputations are hard-won and easily lost. this is meant as a warning against complacency. not so for j.d. salinger fans who welcome a fresh look at his character. he became very famous for the publication of this book "the catcher in the rye." he hated the attention. how has no fury like a media

shunned. they responded by portraying him as a reclusive widow which is a bit unfair. -- a reclusive weirdo which is a bit unfair. his letters to his friend reveal a warm and open man. he would go on coach tours and he would go to the theater. salinger's letters share a stylistic trait with his published works. >> when you read "catcher in the rye," it is a very casual style. the letters are from much like that. they are very casual and it is like a conversation. they are all quite short. he has hit the nail on the head and he can be quite poignant. >> his estate was not

enthusiastic about these letters being revealed. the author would have probably shared the reluctance. >> i think he would hate the idea of a letter that can be read by people. i think the justification is that say they were tolstoy's letters or shakespeare's, of course you would want to read to them because you would learn something about a man who created something that you like. >> this would probably be the last time that j.d. salinger is in the news. there is talk about foreign correspondents. a year after his death, the author famous for being shy cannot escape the public eye. >> lesley harper got married in 1941. by 1954, they were divorced. they got back in touch in 2004.

back at christmas, -- popped the question the second time. >> wihen les harper and elsie ddunn got married, they thought it was forever. then they divorced. then it was forever. they got married to each other for the second time. >> he said he had an idea. he said, let's get married. that was it. i walked around the -- [laughter] >> he is an old romantic at heart, is he.

>> c'mon, let's get married. >> so they did just that. supported by the same young lady who was there bridesmaid it 70 years ago. >> it has been quite a shock. it has been delightful that they got together again. >> when they divorced in 1954 after 13 years together, the oscar-winning actress audrey hepburn married -- roger bannister ran the first recorded mile in less than four minutes. >> are you going to go somewhere? >> no, no, but i will take you with me. >> for the second time in their life they are having their honeymoon as the happy couple. >> even the most cynical among you are feeling that one.

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